ABSTRACT
The obvious method for testing a quality-adjusted-life-year (QALY) measure is to make a comparison between its data and data from a profile measure, because both measures should rank patients in the same order. Both D. K. Whynes and A. R. Neilson and McCulloch used the Health Measurement Questionnaire to derive Rosser-Kind (R-K) values; they compared these data with results from the Nottingham Health Profile and the Functional Limitations Profile respectively, to assess the convergent validity of the R-K QALY. The Sickness Impact Profile (SIP), on which the FLP is based, is recognised as a “widely used, highly respected measure”, by B. Pollard et al, which has been translated into nine languages. D. Patrick and P. Erickson report 27 studies using the SIP, and the examination of studies using the SIP by de Bruin et al found that it is a reliable and valid measure of functional status, performing best when overall scores are used to compare groups.
